


How To Love

by wintercoda



Category: Day6 (Band)
Genre: Co-workers, Fluff, Getting to Know Each Other, M/M, jae and dowoon were basically cameos, slice of life-ish, they’re sound engineers, wonpil is my fave bff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 17:41:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29422506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wintercoda/pseuds/wintercoda
Summary: There are a few reasons why Sungjin chooses to just stay away from the new guy. Brian walks in to any building like he’s invincible—chin held up high, loud silver hair calling attention to a face almost always beaming, even that earring dangling from his ear seems to reflect too much blinding light, Sungjin has to always look away.
Relationships: Kang Younghyun | Young K/Park Sungjin
Comments: 7
Kudos: 34





	How To Love

**Author's Note:**

> Im not sure how this turned out, or if I want to continue this—this is totally new territory for me and I spent my afternoon taking a risk lol. I hope you like it even a little. If not, be easy on me, I’m fragile haha. Happy hearts day from sungbri!

“He’s just so.. loud.” Sungjin and the wrinkle between his brows is a picture of unfamiliar discomfort.

“What do you mean loud? He’s been here a month and all he does is greet you good morning and wish you to ‘ _drive safe, sunbae_ ’” Jae imitates Brian’s lilting greeting, “and you can't even pretend to be a nice coworker?”

“I kinda greet him back? And I don’t know. He has loud footsteps. And maybe he accessorizes too much, I can practically hear his bangles clanking..”

“Bangles?!? What- You know what, I give up. Pil, can you tell this guy to stop being mean to the friendly new hires? I’m outta here.” Jae catches the door as Wonpil comes in with a bin of old records.

“Who? Oh, Brian hyung? He’s great! He works fast and is an all-rounder ace, like me, and I can't believe you’re (poke) being (poke) mean (poke) to him!” He gives Sungjin a final slap on the back.

“Ouch! I wasn’t being mean! I’m just fine with not having to be all sunshine towards everyone all the time.”

“I don’t care. We finally have some cheeriness in this studio and you will chase it away with your boohoo, quiet, brooding persona. Play nice, and that will start with this project today.” Pil dips out of after setting the box on the table.

“Hey! I’m your hyung too, you don't get to order.. of course he left.” he sighs into the dusty box of impending distress.

There are a few reasons why Sungjin chooses to just stay away from the new guy. Brian walks in to any building like he’s invincible—chin held up high, loud silver hair calling attention to a face almost always beaming, even that earring dangling from his ear seems to reflect too much blinding light, Sungjin has to always look away. Most of all, he greets with a gaze that seems like he knows things about you, and Sungjin is a very private person.

As senior audio engineer, Sungjin has always valued the privacy his job allows, the solitude of the studio, and the silence of working alone. Most of their coworkers know this, but Brian, being a rookie to the company, would probably not. And it’s not fair to the latter if Sungjin makes their job difficult just cause he can’t take a little small talk. If only they were not in a hurry to finish this project, he would’ve done it by himself. His downhill spiralling thoughts are interrupted by a soft knock followed by a pale grey head of hair peeking through the door.

“Good morning, Sungjin-ssi! Can I come in?”

“Oh, you’re here. Sure, sure. Let me just-“

“I brought you a drink, cus I wanted to have coffee while working and it would be weird if you weren’t having any. I didn’t want to impose either so if you don’t want it, I can just..”

“It’s okay, Brian. Thank you for.. t-this.” he stammers, surprised at being handed what smells like oolong tea, his usual.

“I’ve seen you in the pantry make yourself some tea, never coffee, so I went ahead and got you one.” Brian smiles like he’s proud of this little thing. Can a smile make a sound? Cus this one does and it’s annoying. Like maracas. Sungjin is disoriented. It’s going to be a long day.

For a rookie, he does work fast, and learns quickly too. He easily catches up on what Sungjin wants done, and has a few ideas of his own to add to the table. Apart from the sheer amount of work they have on their plate, it seems the first few hours is going by smoothly.

Sungjin pushes his chair off the control desk and stretches his arms overhead. There is a work fog that he’s used to when he’s immersed, and it has started to wrap the studio with it. He gets a certain peace from manipulating sound over and over until it reaches its perfect shape, and the silence that follows is it’s own reward. His reverie is broken by two eyes and a smile that almost gives his heart a hiccup.

“What?” he has to look away.

“You love your job.” Brian observes. “I just...” Brian’s eyes look unsure for the first time. “I don't know what I really want to do and there’s a lot, and I try to do everything to find out but then I get paralyzed by the choices. And watching you work today is inspiring, and I want that. I want that certainty.”

 _Hah. That’s not exactly true_ , Sungjin thinks.

“You don't have to be sure about everything all at once, Brian” _wow, I said that?_ Sungjin almost laughs at the irony. “You can take your time, and besides, you’re, uhm, doing great.” That compliment slipped out easier than he thought it would. And there is that smile again, and it sounds like tambourines.

“Also, how can you say that about me, we’ve only been working together a few hours.”

“I’ve been here for a month though.” _Those damn eyes are back at it._ “You look peaceful coming to work every morning, and just as calm every evening even when you seem tired. And I’ve heard you talk about work with Jae-ssi. That score you did for that animated short? You were practically beaming! You can’t possibly hate your job!”

“I wasn’t beaming!” Sungjin incredulously denies, and there it is—a sound he’s never heard in all the years he’s worked in audio.

Brian is laughing, and inexplicably, he doesn’t want the sound to end.

=====

It’s day 5 and they’re halfway through the project when Sungjin finds another sound that would give his heart a little squeeze.

“We can just keep this mix, and go back to it if we have time left.”, he leans back on his chair and closes his eyes for a five-second rest.

“Okay, hyung!” as Brian saves their latest work.

“What-“ He almost gives himself a whiplash from snapping his head towards the other boy. “What did you say!?”

“I-i mean, Sungjin-ssi? Sorry, Dowoonie & Pil calls you hyung and I just wanted to try it.” Brian looks away embarrassed, “never mind, if you’re uncomfortable, I’m sorry.”

“No”

“I know, I shouldn’t have said it”

“No, I mean, I’m not.. uncomfortable. You can.. call me that.” Sungjin turns knobs and switches that probably doesn’t need to be turned.

“Okay, hyung!” Brian _gleams_ , and plomps on his seat with a bounce, but all Sungjin heard was birdsong.

  
=====

Sungjin has learned so much about Brian in the span of their studio time spent together. How he finished with a music business degree, took some sound tech courses, and writes music on the side too. How he can play multiple instruments, but thinks he’s not very good at any of them. How he has supportive parents, but he feels guilty for trying different careers.

The older has shared a little bit of his stories too—how he’d grown up in his parents’ thrift store and was always amazed by the old turntables and audio equipment, how he used to play in a garage band in his teens, and tried to record themselves in the shop. The rest was his career choice history.

“So did you sing? In your band, did you sing?” Brian inquires earnestly.

“Yeah, I was the main vocalist and I played guitar. But it was a long time ago.”

“I’m sure you sound great, hyung!” _The damn birdsong._ “I wish I could hear you sing again.”

“Nah, you’re not missing anything.” “How about you? You said you write songs—do you sing too?” Sungjin busies himself with some sound catalogs.

“I did some covers, and a couple of amateur musicals, hahaha!” _Maracas, tambourines, birdsong._ “Nothing professional or anything.”

“So you haven’t recorded in a booth like this before?” a budding idea sprouts in his usually useless head. “Cus we’re recording Sunny-nim’s vocals today and I wanted to try the new mics the studio bought. If you have time before you do your other tasks, maybe you could help me set them up, and give them a whirl?”

“You mean in there? Like, sing in the recording booth?” Brian eagerly jumps up from his chair.

“Yeah, I mean- just a couple of lines until I finish setting up here at the console… What is up with people leaving the room while I'm talking?!” He basically exhales to himself as Brian had already gone inside the booth like an excited puppy.

Sungjin pulls up the MR track as he watches a giddy Brian wear a headset and wave with both limbs at him. He turns his console mic on and tells him the song.

“I’m sure you know this song already. You helped track this thing. Are you ready?”

“Yes hyung!” Brian grins with both thumbs up. _Birds. Breeze. Brian._ Sungjin shakes his head empty of these sounds, turns some knobs, and plays the track.

After four counts, and four snare beats, a bouncy bass line and some warm synths, Brian starts singing. The song is a lighthearted pop in an older groove, but Sungjin is not ready for the brightness that Brian’s voice brings to the song.

_Tell me how to love / It’s so difficult /_   
_This thing called love / I want to try it /_   
_I want to try it / Cuz I’m ready..._

Sungjin mixed this track and he knows he did okay with it. But never did he think he would hear it like this—the guitars crunch and remind him of dry leaves on the ground in autumn, the bass lines bounce around the room like light, strings synth fills the dark gray walls with a prism of color, and he swears he must be high.

_I want to try it too /_   
_But I’m so scared /_   
_Being scared isn’t a fault..._

Brian belts that last one out at the top of his lungs, and he does so playfully. With outstretched arms and balled-up fists, he smiles a smile of no worries, his eyes disappearing into delight, and coming back with a look that’s a mix of mirth and meaning.

The last chorus Sungjin spends getting himself together. Brian will come out of the booth in a few and he can’t be found like this—dazed and dumbfounded. He saves the track, emails it to Brian, and sends the boy on his way.

That night, a certain howtolove_brian.mp3 will be played repeatedly in two sets of earphones.

=====

It’s their last day on the project and Sungjin is bouncing on his heels coming into work. He convinced himself it’s cus he can't wait to rid himself of this project. Totally not because he can’t wait to talk to Brian about the song.

“Good morning, hyung!” It’s Dowoon on the chair in his studio. He notices Sungjin’s confusion and instantly clarifies, “I’m your assistant tech today. Brian hyung has to finish some work in studio A with Wonpil hyung so I was sent in to wrap up with you.”

“Oh of course. Thats.. great. Besides, you can do this with your eyes closed, we can finish faster.” It’s just 9am and he already did a lot of self-convincing today.

“Okay hyung!” No birdsong, no tambourines. Just Dowoon’s sweet and low response, a clacking of keyboards, and a thud somewhere in his chest.

=====

Sungjin is a man of few words, but man, the amount of overthinking he does could compensate for that. And overthinking is exactly what he did when Brian sent him a thank-you cup of tea for “letting me work on the project with you, for the recording, and for everything I learned”. Overthinking is what he does when Brian continues to peek into his studio for a “good morning, hyung!” ( _birdsong!_ ) and a “drive safe, hyung!” ( _those damn birds!_ ) on the daily. Overthinking is what he does every time he listens to howtolove_brian.mp3 until he feels like for the first time in his life, he’s sure of most everything, including his feelings, and the decision to put all the overthinking to rest.

=====

“Wonpil, did Brian already leave?” he exhales the question towards his coworker who was packing up his things in the common area.

“He’s still in studio A finishing up. Did you need him for work or something?”

“Uh no, I just need to... ask him something.” He shifts in place and stares decisively towards the direction of the rooms. 

“He should be free tonight, he wrapped up that one job early today.” Wonpil side-eyes his best friend, eventually cackling at Sungjin’s defensive look. “Hyung, your face! Hey, it’s okay to hang out with new people. I’m just happy you’re starting to open up. This is good!”

Sungjin swats his friend’s lanky limbs threatening to envelope him into a hug. “How- I don't know what you’re talking about!”

“Don’t even deny it! You panic every time Brian hyung so much as says your name. I’ve heard you two talk about work in the studio, and it feels so much like you’re talking about something else. Also.. really? howtolove_brian? I back up our computer files, hyung!” Sungjin wishes he could fire Wonpil. Or unfriend him. Just for a day.

  
“Sungjin hyung? You’re still here?” Brian emerges from the studios.

Wonpil dramatically turns to leave, “Aaaand I, most definitely, won’t be. Bye, hyungs! Don’t do anything I won’t do!” he prances out the door, followed by a crumpled piece of paper thrown lamely by Sungjin.

“He’s… something.” Sungjin is beet red. And warm. And there’s string synths playing, snares and hihats, a bouncy bass line, crunchy guitars. And Brian laughing. _Tambourines_.

“and I’m.. I was waiting for you.” Now or never. Hopefully not never. 

“Oh. Can I help you with anything, hyung?” _Birdsong_.

“Yeah well, I just.. Are you free tonight?” His heartbeat is deafening. “For dinner? Or coffee? Or if not tonight, any night?” Silence.

Sungjin has never been uncomfortable with silence until this one. But not for long cus Brian’s face is music. His loud silver hair, his earrings chime in, his smile is a smile of no worries, and Sungjin has never been more certain of silence meaning yes.

“Hyung, I thought you’d never ask.”


End file.
